Powermax 45 Air Issue

[Oggjay]

Having some issue with my Powermax 45 air supply.. On the bar meter on the front it will not come up from the bottom yellow indicator.. I have an 80 gallon tank feeding it with inline filters and the air pressure going into the back of the cutter is 120 and only drops to 110 when cutting. Anyone have any idea why It wont come up into the green. More than enough pressure and CFM's.. Not sure whats going on. Any help is appreciated..

[jimcolt]

There is likely an internal restriction.

-You are reading pressure right at the rear inlet....which drops to 110 right? Not from a gauge a few feet away, right at the inlet?

-If the above is correct, and you have the proper consumables in your torch, then the onboard filter assembly is likely clogged, or there is a piece of debris (teflon tape, rust, etc) plugging an air fitting somewhere in the system. You could also have a failed on board regulator.

Jim Colt

Having some issue with my Powermax 45 air supply.. On the bar meter on the front it will not come up from the bottom yellow indicator.. I have an 80 gallon tank feeding it with inline filters and the air pressure going into the back of the cutter is 120 and only drops to 110 when cutting. Anyone have any idea why It wont come up into the green. More than enough pressure and CFM's.. Not sure whats going on. Any help is appreciated..

[Oggjay]

Thanks Jim. I will look into the internals. Its brand new. We have only had our system for about a month now. It has never read in the green.. And yes I am reading the pressure right at the inlet..

[jimcolt]

Make sure you turn the amperage knob fully counter clockwise, this starts the air flowing at the torch. Once this is done check to ensure the rear inlet has above 90 psi (and less than 130), then turn the regulator knob to adjust the secondary air flow so the the LED's are satisfied.

If the unit is new and the above has never worked...then you should have the local dealer take a look at it and determine the problem. The unit has a three year warranty.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

Thanks Jim. I will look into the internals. Its brand new. We have only had our system for about a month now. It has never read in the green.. And yes I am reading the pressure right at the inlet..

[VPT]

There are LEDs to look at? Same on the PM65?

I have yet to play with any of the air stuff on mine, I just hook up and cut but have always wondered what the air pressure should be set at on the machine itself and all that.

[Oggjay]

It seems to cutting just fine with very minimal dross on 18g. Just wondering if it could be better. My only real issue is that my pierce/ start points are twice the size of the kerf. How do I control that.. I have the time delay a 0.1 if I go to 0.0 like the book states then it doesn't cut/pierce thru until it starts cutting.

[jimcolt]

The newer Powermax65, 85 and 105 systems have auto air settings. They sense the installed consumables, the length of the torch leads, the incoming air pressure and even the wear on the nozzle orifice, and constantly adjust and maintain proper torch cutting pressure.

The Powermax45 (like most plasma systems) requires that the operator periodically set the secondary (cutting) air pressure. To do this you turn the amperage knob fully counter clockwise (this makes the air flow at the torch) and adjust the regulator knob until the front panel LED's indicate the correct pressure. This is covered in detail in the Powermax45 operators manual....but most users (like me!) probably never read that part!

Inlet pressure should be monitored as well...it is best to install a gauge right at the rear panel inlet, do not rely on a pressure gauge that is any distance away from the plasma...or especially one that is 25' away at your compressor. Inlet pressure while air is flowing at the torch must be above 90 psi, and below 130 psi.

Correct air pressure is critical to cut quality and consumable life.

Jim Colt Hypertherm

There are LEDs to look at? Same on the PM65?

I have yet to play with any of the air stuff on mine, I just hook up and cut but have always wondered what the air pressure should be set at on the machine itself and all that.

[VPT]

Excellent, thanks! I had no idea the PM adjusted air by itself. Not real long ago I got a new compressor and went threw and got new driers, hose, fittings, the whole deal so I could get better flow at the end of the hose for my air tools and blast cabinet and whatnot. Definitely getting enough pressure and flow to supply the machine, was just curious about the air settings on the machine.

[Leeway]

On my PM45, I have a regulator just outside the machine and then the machines.
It is an 80 gallon compressor as well, but runs off 100' 3/8" ID air hose for now.
I plan on moving the AC soon, so that will allow me to pipe out a junction.

The knob on top of the PM45 requires very little turning. Most of the time I don't touch it if it is a little over or under. Then when cuttting, it level's out. Not as good when it's a little low. The other day I messed with it and got it set in green. The AC kicked in and I had a fault due to too much air.
Obviously my inbound regulator isn't doing it's job, so needs replacing. That is the first time I have had a fault for air pressure. I can tell you though that this fault does stop Mach 3 with CandCNC electronics and the PM 45.

Had I been aware of the auto settings on the larger versions, I might have sprang for one of those. As it is, I need to spend a little more money on a better inbound regulator to the PM45.